Monday, October 26, 2015

STATE SENATE | DISTRICT 9 | The California Nurses Association's political support is similar to the level of care a patient might experience in the hospital. If you treat the nurses with kindness, you might get an extra cup of apples sauce on your dinner tray. Treat them badly and expect your bed pan to overflow.

The California Nurses Association (CNA) think Ninth District State Senate candidate Sandre Swanson is the former.

In the high-profile East Bay June primary also featuring Nancy Skinner, the nurses union is giving a life line to Swanson. His campaign announced the union's crucial endorsement in a statement Monday.

Clearly, Big Labor is falling toward Swanson's campaign and all indications show he will need all the financial heft that comes with it. The union's extra resources will go far in lessening Skinner's distinct initial fundraising advantage that through the end of last June showed the former Democratic assembly member with more than $925,000 in the bank. The total is more than eight times Swanson's campaign coffers, through the mid-year reporting period.

Most observers, however, believe Skinner's money advantage will decrease over time, in part, because of Swanson's union support. The California School Employees Association previously announced support for Swanson, as have the local Teamsters Joint Council 7, in addition, to the district's current slate of state legislators.

In addition, the pie available for Democrats got bigger last month when Alameda County Supervisor Wilma Chan, another former Democratic assembly member. dropped out of the race, citing an inability to compete on the fundraising front all the way to the November general election.

Oakland education advocate Katherine Welch is also a candidate, as is Republican San Pablo Vice Mayor Rich Kinney.